International Space Station twinkles in the sky over the South Plains

Though the International Space Station is more than 250 miles away, Lubbock residents can see the object in the sky.

You don't even have to drive out into a dark cotton field to see it, said Patrice Marshall, South Plains Astronomy Club president and operator of the telescope at Texas Tech's On-Campus Observatory.

"I have seen the International Space Station and didn't know what it was until a few days later," Marshall said. "You can see all kinds of things in the sky like the Hubble telescope and other satellites, as well as the space station."

Here are her suggestions for finding it in the sky easily:

WHERE

TO SEE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

Date

Time

Approach

Departure

Sight time

Feb. 21

7:57 p.m.

11 above N 1

3 above N

20 sec.

Feb. 23

7:33 p.m.

12 above NNW

23 above ENE

3 min.

Feb. 24

10:12 p.m.

54 above WSW

57 above SW

20 sec.

Feb. 25

7:11 p.m.

24 above NNW

10 above ESE

4 min.

Feb. 26

7:49 p.m.

22 above SSW

10 above S

2 min.

Mar. 8

6:32 a.m.

10 above SSE

10 above SSE

20 sec.

Mar. 10

6:07 a.m.

12 above S

25 above SSE

1 min.

Mar. 12

5:43 a.m.

32 above SSW

57 above ESE

2 min.

Mar. 13

6:18 a.m.

13 above W

15 above NNE

4 min.

Mar. 14

5:21 a.m.

38 above NNE

38 above NNE

20 sec.

Mar. 15

5:55 a.m.

16 above NW

10 above N

3 min.

 Find an area where nothing obstructs the view of the horizon. Places such as parking lots where no buildings will obstruct the view are perfect.

 Get in position 10 minutes before the scheduled time that the space station is to appear.

 Find the direction that the space station is going to make an appearance. To measure the degrees that are in the chart, put the bottom of your fist onto the horizon line. One fist above the horizon line equals 10 degrees, and stacking fists can add 10 more degrees.

 Hang on and be patient.

"Sometimes it can be there, and then it's gone," she said.

When the space station does appear, it will look like a bright star, she said.

Marshall said using the naked eye is the best way to see the space station because of the short duration of its appearance. Using binoculars can be done, she said, but one should slowly pull them up to the eyes while still looking at the object.

Using a telescope requires an even steadier hand, she said, and focusing the scope in time may be impossible.

Though the table lists the dates and times that the space station can be seen from the sky, she said the longer away the date is, the less accurate the time is.

Sightings are contingent on the booster rockets on the space station firing on time, she said. Therefore, she said, take the later dates with a grain of salt.

For more dates and times for space station sightings, visit spaceflight.nasa.gov, click on the Realtime Data bar at the top of the screen, then go to Sighting Opportunities.